Reverse Trick-or-Treat

A light knock came from the door. Shawn peeled his face from his hand and paused the movie.

"Finally," Shawn sighed in relief as he rose from the couch. "You coming?"

"The last two times were false alarms," Jacob said as he picked up the candy bowl from the couch next to him. "I'm ready in case this isn't another though."

Shawn shrugged and turned to the door, the paper skeleton taped to it grinned at him as he reached for the doorknob. He pulled the door open, crisp fall air rushed in as he peered out.

"Looks like it was the wind," Shawn said as he shut the door.

“I thought you said you get a lot of trick-or-treaters,” Jacob sighed as he crumbled the empty candy wrapper in his hand and tossed it onto the pile on the table next to him.

His hand moved to the large bowl of candy that rested on his lap. The orange plastic of the bowl glowed in the dim light of the lamp on the side table next to him as Jacob fished around the now half-empty bowl.

“I normally get a lot,” Shawn offered as he turned to look out the window at the empty street. “I don’t get it.”

“It’s okay,” Jacob reassured as he pulled a piece of candy out of the bowl. “I never gave out candy before and was excited to finally have the chance.”

“I know,” Shawn said as he turned and let the curtain fall back into place. “I was looking forward to you finally having the chance…”

“Can’t control kids, Shawn,” Jacob said as he set the bowl on the table, the light from the lamp above it lit it from within, casting an ethereal orange hue through the room. “Especially not on Halloween. Come join me, we can finish the movie.”

Shawn looked uneasily at the TV. The heroine of the movie was frozen in a moment of pure terror as demonic hands reached for her from under her bedroom door. The sound of Jacob patting the couch next to him pulled him back.

“What’s the name of this movie again?” Shawn asked hesitantly as he slowly crossed the room to the couch, his eyes fixed on the TV.

“Drag Me to Hell,” Jacob gleamed as Shawn fell on the couch beside him. “It’s one of my favorites!”

“You said that,” Shawn said with a crack in his voice, his eyes still cast on the screen.

“Are you ready?” Jacob asked with a devilish glee as he picked up the remote.

Shawn felt the breath seize in his throat as he saw the remote rise. It was as if time itself slowed as he watched Jacob aim the remote at the TV. Shawn turned his face and closed his eyes, awaiting the foreboding knocking at the door. A hard knock on the front door broke the silence of the room and made Shawn jump.

“I’ll get it,” Shawn said excitedly as he leapt to his feet.

“Whoa,” Jacob said as he grabbed Shawn by the wrist as he tried to rush past. “I was on candy duty, remember?”

“Oh, right,” Shawn said as he turned his wrist and pulled Jacob to his feet before taking an uneasy glance at the TV. “Let’s do it together.”

“Together?” Jacob asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I want to be there for your first trick-or-treater,” Shawn said with a coy smile as he turned back to Jacob.

“That’s so sweet,” Jacob said as he leaned in and kissed Shawn. “And such a lie, you just don’t want to watch the movie!”

“Guilty,” Shawn admitted as he dragged Jacob from the couch.

“You could have said something…” Jacob said as he wrenched his hand free and grabbed the bowl.

“I know,” Shawn admitted as he crossed the door and turned to look through the window next to the door. “I just didn’t want to spoil…”

“Spoil?” Jacob asked as he turned and stopped, seeing Shawn staring out the window. “Shawn?”

“Come here,” Shawn said without turning from the window. “You have to see this.”

Shawn held out a hand, beckoning him. Jacob crossed the room to the window and looked over Shawn’s shoulder. In the dim light of the porch, Jacob saw a door standing a few feet from Shawn’s front door; its face was marred with webs of long cracks that extended inward from its scorched trim. In the center were four vertical slashes crossed by a fifth.

“I’ve seen this before,” Jacob gleamed. “Fraternity guys go around reverse trick or treating. You knock on their door and they will answer it dressed as little old ladies.”

“You’re making that up,” Shawn said with a nudge.

“I am not,” Jacob said as he reached for the door. “They post the videos on Facebook.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well, there is one way to settle this,” Jacob winked as he grabbed the doorknob and opened the door.

A shiver ran down Shawn's spine as he watched Jacob step through the door.

“Shawn, come out here,” Jacob called from the porch. “You have to see this.”

Shawn gazed uneasily at the door before turning to step out onto the porch. Jacob was passing a hand over the slashes as Shawn stepped across the threshold.

“It says to knock,” Jacob said as he turned and tapped a sign hanging from the cast-iron door handle. “Should we?”

“I don’t know…”

“Come on, Shawn,” Jacob winked as he bumped Shawn with his hip. “You only live once.”

Jacob reached out and knocked on the door.

“Say the line…” a voice said from the other side.

“The line?” Jacob asked.

“Trick or treat,” Shawn said flatly.

“Oh,” Jacob nodded with a smile. “Trick or treat!”

The doorknob groaned as it turned. The door swung open, its hinges crying out in anguish. Shawn saw a bright light emanate from inside the doorway, its ray passing over Jacob as the door opened. A blast of hot air struck Shawn in the face as the light reached him. Shawn felt himself being dragged toward the door as the heat forced him to shield his face. He let out a scream as the hinges cried out again. The door slammed shut, its trim smoldering a bright red in the darkness of the night.

“Trick…” the voice whispered as the door glided away from the empty porch, two new slashes smoldered on its surface.